I love reality TV, I really do and I will watch virtually anything without shame. Some of my favorites include (but are not limited to):
The Real Housewives (but NOT the Orange County or New York series… I have standards)
Bethany Ever After
Tabitha’s Salon Takeover
***ok, pretty much anything on the Bravo channel***
Hoarders (does reality TV get any better than this show?)
Project Runway
Paranormal State
Ghost Hunters
Jersey Shore
Man vs Wild
The Biggest Loser (there hasn’t been an episode yet where I haven’t been reduced to tears)
The Deadliest Catch
The truth is I could probably name 15 more of these delicious nuggets that will tie me to a TV every evening after Shawn falls asleep. As I sit here this evening flipping back and forth between the newest episodes of Hoarders and The Real Housewives of New Jersey it occurred to me that I couldn’t name 5 scripted TV shows that are currently on the air that I make a concerted effort to watch each week beyond The Game of Thrones and Tosh.0 (and I’m not even sure that the latter counts as “scripted”). I don’t know if my standards for high-quality entertainment are decreasing as my age increases, or that the quality of the scripted entertainment has plummeted due to the sheer laziness of the network executives... but what I do know is that a teaser clip of a good old-fashioned New Jersey cat fight will guarantee my viewership every time.
The Real Housewives (but NOT the Orange County or New York series… I have standards)
Bethany Ever After
Tabitha’s Salon Takeover
***ok, pretty much anything on the Bravo channel***
Hoarders (does reality TV get any better than this show?)
Project Runway
Paranormal State
Ghost Hunters
Jersey Shore
Man vs Wild
The Biggest Loser (there hasn’t been an episode yet where I haven’t been reduced to tears)
The Deadliest Catch
The truth is I could probably name 15 more of these delicious nuggets that will tie me to a TV every evening after Shawn falls asleep. As I sit here this evening flipping back and forth between the newest episodes of Hoarders and The Real Housewives of New Jersey it occurred to me that I couldn’t name 5 scripted TV shows that are currently on the air that I make a concerted effort to watch each week beyond The Game of Thrones and Tosh.0 (and I’m not even sure that the latter counts as “scripted”). I don’t know if my standards for high-quality entertainment are decreasing as my age increases, or that the quality of the scripted entertainment has plummeted due to the sheer laziness of the network executives... but what I do know is that a teaser clip of a good old-fashioned New Jersey cat fight will guarantee my viewership every time.
The big question is how did we get here? How it is possible that a hot mess like the The Real Housewives can replace something as hallowed as Seinfeld? When did having zero talent equal top-rated, prime time TV? Obviously, I blame Paris Hilton. I feel as though we can trace the downfall of our society, or at a minimum the downfall of the screen writer’s guild, to The Simple Life. I miss Friends, Seinfeld, and The X files, basically shows with ACTORS, WRITERS, and a PLOT. Sound familiar? I hope so; I’d hate to think that talent on the small screen has been lost to the annals of time. With that, I’m off to watch reruns of Sex and the City on E and reacquaint myself with the concept of actors practicing their craft and the real reason why the Emmys even exist (before there was a Best Reality TV category).
On a side note, I have however discovered my next guilty viewing pleasure… a little gem called “Roseanne’s Nuts”, a reality TV dream made-in-heaven starring Roseanne Barr. I mean really, how can this not be a homerun?
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